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Stainer, Jacobus

The best and most influential maker of the Germanic school, and for much of the eighteenth century revered by violinists as at least equal to his Cremonese contemporaries. Working from 1638, he quickly evolved a distinctive style dependant on a full arch with a strong channel around the edge, giving a very pure tone often described as 'silvery', although lacking in sheer power compared with Stradivari and Guarneri. Strong similarities to Nicolo Amati's technique seen in his work provoke the idea that he was a pupil, but no evidence can be found for this. Very successful in his own lifetime, he was brought low by a dispute with the church in 1669, and bouts of what might have been depression after 1675, but he continued making instruments to the very highest quality. Hugely influential on the Germanic school for many generations, and on violin makers throughout Europe in the eighteenth century, his instruments are now well-suited for authentic performance of baroque music, where the tonal power needed to dominate a large orchestra is not the main issue.

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